Hope Whithered and Renewed
by Raven Bloodwolf
Summary: Sequel to 'The Big Step' and 'A Perfect Wedding'. Pitch Black ha returned and has done something that has taken our Guardian of Fun, Jack Frost and his children too. Enraged, Bunnymund is determined to find his family, no matter it takes. But Pitch then does something that might tear their little family apart. Full inside


Title: Hope Withered and Renewed

Fandom: Rise of the Guardians

Pairing: (Uke/Seme) Jack Frost/Bunnymund, Mentioned!Onesided!Jack Frost/Pitch Black

Summary: Sequel to 'The Big Step' and 'A Perfect Wedding'. Pitch Black ha returned and has done something that has taken our Guardian of Fun, Jack Frost and his children too. Enraged, Bunnymund is determined to find his family, no matter it takes. But Pitch then does something that might tear their little family apart. Jack is pushed to the breaking point and Pitch reminds Bunny, that hope can wither and die as easily as the morning mist.

Warning(s): off seen death, mentioned attempted suicide

Disclaimer: I do not own Rise of the Guardians. DreamWorks does. If I did, Easter Frost would've been established in the movie. ^.^

**A/N: This is kinda like an apology one-shot for those who were waiting –patiently- for the next installment of LBRH. This is a serious, dark Easter Frost with a bit of Obsessed Black Ice (I love the name) and –possibly- the last of the Jack/Bunny one-shot family continuity series. I had written this way before 'Mistletoe' and 'A Perfect Wedding' so IDK if this is the last one. **

**The first version was only like 700-900 words. After finding it in the back of my 'Written Works' folder and reading it after seven weeks of neglect, I just decided to totally revamp it. Hopefully you'll like it, I wanted to try a serious, dark piece so I could practice for LBRH. Please enjoy and comment. It helps to me to be better. ^^ **

Phil had the job of checking Jack's room in the North Pole. The yeti, usually one to avoid the young Guardian because of all of his pranks, didn't argue with North like he usually would when it came to Jack. Not since the whole…'incident' as they liked to call it. Bunnymund would have done it himself, but with Easter a day away, plus having to take care of young Clarice by himself, he didn't have the time to do so. And if he were honest, a tiny part of him didn't _want_ to see Jack.

It had been centuries since Pitch had been defeated. Clarice was now three-that is to say, she has the emotional, mental and physical attributes of a three year old toddler, but in reality, she was pushing 308-and the young doe hybrid was changing from pooka to human and back again. When it had first happened, Bunnymund and Jack were so proud, scooping up their nude little humanoid girl and kissing her face. Those were the happy times, the times that the pooka found himself thinking about more and more with each passing season.

Then, just like clouds blocking out the sun, the good times had vanished. Pitch Black, the Boogieman, had returned and began to spread fear once again. But the supposed King of Nightmares took it a step further, he had kidnapped Jack Frost; a pregnant Jack Frost, who had been watching their other two children, Clarice and little Jernai in the safety of the Warren.

Bunnymund had been away then. He had been at the Tooth Palace discussing with the Guardian of Memories about he happy he was to have little ones playing in the fields of his home again. But when he had returned home, with no greeting other than half of his large stone sentinels broken and shattered on the ground and many of the egglettes running around in a panic, he knew something was wrong.

His first instinct was to find his family and after searching the whole Warren and still no sight or scent of Jack or their two kits, the pooka of Hope began to shake with rage and worry. He had found Snowdrift; the canine was tied up and whimpering in their kitchen, which had been utterly destroyed. The faint smell of carrot cake lingered in the air, but he paid no mind to it as he released the wolf from her bonds and continued his search.

Soon, he had scoured the whole Warren and he still could not find Jack or their children. On any other day, the pooka would be irritated, calling out that he gives up before his mate and children come running towards him, smiles on their faces because they had eluded him. But this was not one of those days, not with his stone eggs bashed to hell.

Bunnymund made a rabbit hole to the North Pole, when something in the edge of his line of sight moved. Looking towards where he thought the mysterious thing was, Bunnymund's anger only grew as well as his fear. A pitch black entity in the shape of a horse with bright yellow eyes, pawed at the ground before flying off towards one of the tunnels.

A nightmare.

Bunnymund wanted to race after the dreaded creature, but instead traveled down the rabbit hole. He knew he needed the others help to get Jack back, especially when if Pitch had him and the children as well. When the other Guardians found out about this, they had gone into action and stormed Pitch's castle. The sight that greeted them, when they barged into the throne room, tore at their hearts. Especially Bunny's own, which had nearly stopped beating when he saw what greeted them.

Jack had been strapped to a long, dark table, not moving save for the rapid rising and falling of his chest. There was blood on the surface, on Jack's exposed stomach, on the floor. To the side of the room, Clarice was crying in a cage that looked like it could hold two occupants. She was the only one in there, her pale white fur tinted pink. The smell of blood and gore was everywhere, it assaulted Bunnymund's nose and he wished he could plug it as it twitched and quivered with each inhale.

The buck, having been frozen in shock and horror, sprung into action. He ran over to Jack's side, barely listening to Tooth as she cooed and cried while she and Sandy went to release the young kit from her cage.

He placed a paw on Jack's cheek, fur bristling at the unnatural coldness emitting from the spirit. The other trailed down his chest, recoiling when the pads suddenly sunk down. Bunny's eyes widened. That should have happened.

Pulling away slightly, Bunnymund hitched his breath when he saw the gapping wound in the others stomach. The sight made him freeze again; this time the despair caught him and he couldn't hold back the sob that escaped his throat. North was soon by his side, using his swords to free Jacks wrists from the cuffs. The Protector of Wonder avoided the spot where his friends now red paw was currently resting beside it.

Tears gathered in Bunnymund's eyes as he gently gathered the young Guardian in his arms. His chest heaved and he bit his lip to prevent the sob that threatened to escape. Tooth fluttered over to him and went to place a delicate hand on his arm and he jerked away from her touched, growling almost like an enraged dog. Tooth flinched, her eyes widening with unshed tears. She looked as though he had slapped her.

"Bunny..." She whispered. He saw the hurt in her eyes, but he didn't care. All he wanted was for Jack to be all right.

Sandy placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, as North opened a portal to the Pole and he and Tooth jumped through. Sandy and Bunny went to follow, before a loud wail of outrage reached Bunny's ears, and he turned to see the King of Nightmares himself standing there, his eyes dark with rage.

"Give him back to me! He's _**mine**_!" Pitch screamed, his nightmare horses whining and backing away in fear of his anger.__"I will not let you take him from me!"

Sandy quickly summoned his whips, lashing the man with his golden sand. Bunny quickly turned and raced through the shrinking portal. Pitch could wait; right now Jack needed to be tended to. He only glanced back once to see Sandy following him, the Nightmare King spread out on the floor.

Snowdrift was waiting at the other side, and after smelling the blood and fear, had to be restrained and removed by the yeti's. She had been placed in one of the private workshops, the door locked from the outside. Bunnymund soon joined her, having being forcefully kicked out of the infirmary after demanding that they moved faster to help his husband.

It wasn't until a little after midnight, that North and Stork (who had come as soon as North sent an elf for him) had searched to find him and tell him the horrible news. The ice spirit was resting and would possibly recover from the wound. But their third child, a possible boy, had been forcefully removed from Jack's stomach. A forced abortion.

At that point, Bunnymund had fallen to his knees, a paw over his mouth. He did not ask about Jernai, he already knew the fate of his young boy. But this…this was cruel, even for Pitch. Tears fell down his cheeks, wetting his fur as he finally let out the sobs that were suppressed for so long. His children…his poor young children who were now gone and had barely lived to see the whole world. And Jack…Bunnymund let out a particularly gut wrenching sob.

How was he supposed to tell Jack?

He didn't have to.

Upon awakening, the frost spirit began to scream, creating a blizzard outside that if it were Christmas, it would've been canceled. He had been clawing at his stomach, making the stitches tear and causing the wound to bleed again.

The Guardians all had to work together to calm Jack enough to the point he was silently sobbing against Bunny's chest. When he demanded to see his children, Tooth brought him Clarice, who had still been crying. She had not stopped since they brought her to the Pole. When she was in her mother's arms again, she quieted, her eyes red and puffy as she hiccupped. The frost spirit clutched her like a lifeline, rocking back and forth in Bunnymund's arms.

North, Tooth and Sandy defeated Pitch on their own. It had been a little difficult, but they had pulled it off. Bunnymund could only see red when someone so much as mentioned the man and poor Jack, who couldn't even get out of bed, were left outside the battlefield. It was probably all for the best though, because the pooka would have most likely killed Pitch and Manny did not approve of his chosen killing anyone; no matter how evil they were. The pooka thought that having the Nightmare King gone would make him feel better. It only made him feel useless and depressed.

Jack didn't return to the Warren once he was healed. He said he would stay at the Pole for a while, until he decided to return home. Bunnymund had understood. The other needed time to heal. Soon, when he was ready, his husband would return and play pranks again, like always.

Besides, Easter was almost upon them and he had to prepare. And the stone eggs and their home needed repairing as well. So He kept his distance, going to see him when he wasn't busy preparing for Easter. But the Guardian of Fun would only stare blankly in the distance, with such a hunted gaze that the pooka started to visit less and less. He had work to anyway.

At least…that's what he told himself to make himself feel better.

Seasons passed and Jack still didn't return to the Warren, nor would he see Bunnymund. This had started the year after, when one day Bunnymund came to the Pole and North intersected him when he went to Jack's room. The jolly Russian told the pooka that the youth did not wish not see him.

It had stun; Bunnymund could admit that he was a grown buck. But he didn't show it, instead bottling up his wounded heart and stubbornly accepted it. Jack didn't want to see him. This only pushed him deeper into his depression, but he managed to get through it. Clarice was counting on him too, as well as Jack although his husband avoided all contact with him.

He heard from the others, that the spirit would have bad dreams and Sandy had to use extra dream sand just to get him to sleep peacefully through the night. The pooka felt guilt gnaw at his heart. He was at a lost at what to do. Jack only called on him to bring their daughter to him.

Those were the bad days, when Jack would request Clarice to come to the Pole. And every time, it was ask via Tooth, Sandy or note. Never in person.

She would be gone for maybe a day-on a particular not so bad day-or six months. The longest had been three years. Jack wanted to have her with him for longer, but her cries for her daddy made him reluctantly ask Tooth to take her back to the Warren. Snowdrift stayed with Bunnymund, her skittishness making the frost spirit uneasy and snappy. Bunnymund depended on her more times then he would like to admit when his depression got the best of him.

Then the attempted suicide had occurred.

North had summoned him to the Pole with a supposed life or death urgency. The pooka was pissed. Of course North had chosen two days before Easter to call him. And he had just gotten back his daughter too. He never complained when Jack asked for her, but he missed her and wanted her with him too. So, he went to the Pole, growling at the Russian as he roughly grabbed his arm and lead to where Jack's room was.

His angered quickly vanished however, when the door opened into Jack's room and saw the half rope that dangled from the ceiling. Jack lied there on the floor, the yeti's and elves hovering over him as if he were delicate or dangerous. There were ugly red marks wrapped around the usually pale neck.

After that, the pooka had been determined to not leave the frost spirits side. This had gone on for weeks until the younger snapped and told him to leave. And he did so; his guilt and pride making him think that it was his entire fault. That _**every that happened**_ was his fault. Now here he was, Easter night and his paws guided him to North's Palace.

He promised himself he would go. After all, the winter spirit needed him, even though he didn't know it or acted like he didn't. Also…he just couldn't stand the thought of leaving his husband-his mate-alone. It had been so long since he had seen him…Bunnymund wouldn't let Jack or himself stop him from seeing the Guardian of Fun.

Fun…Winter hasn't been exactly _fun_ without Jack. The children were slowly not believing in him anymore. Winter still came, and so did snow days, but without Jack…it wasn't really _**fun**_. Winter certainly had begun to lose its budding appeal to Bunnymund. His Snowflake made it fun and without him and his seemingly non-stop supply of energy and creative new games, it was just a cold, boring and infuriating season.

Speaking of energy…

He was tired, his usually fast pace much slower now because of his most busiest day of the year. Usually so full of life and hope on this day, Bunny found himself sore, tired and a bit irritated if he was honest. It seemed the ankle bitters increased every year. Or maybe his depression was making him slow footed with each passing day.

When he arrived, he saw North standing by the huge fireplace. Sandy was also there, generating enough sand for North to give Jack to sleep peacefully before he made his nightly rounds. The Dream Guardian gave him a friendly wave, which was halfheartedly returned. Bunnymund found it hard to really smile nowadays. It wasted too much energy, it seemed, and felt like a chore rather than a pleasure.

Dragging his feet, he went to the hallway that lead to Jack's room, nodded to Phil as the yeti babbled at him before departing. He opened the door, finding Jack cradling their only surviving child in his arms. It was dark, the lights were out and it smelled a bit musty. Tooth had brought her to him the day before, after he had pleaded to see her. Jack even never left the room anymore. Tooth had told him that when she had came to get Clarice.

"Its almost like he's afraid of the world around him. Almost like…he's shutting down and retreating inside himself."

'_**All because of me.**_' Bunny swallowed the sob before it came to the surface. He was starting to get good at that.

"Hey, there are my two most precious eggs in the whole world." He tried to smile, but it faltered and died when those bright blue eyes refused to turn his way.

Clarice acknowledged his presence though, wiggling out of her mothers grasp to get to him. Jack let her go, eyes blinking up at him as she hugged her father's leg. He seemed to shrink with his daughters absence.

"Daddy! Mommy sad." Clarice blinked up at him with wide glassy eyes. The look of a pleading child who could not or did not understand why one or both of their parents are hurt. Bunnymund swallowed another sob that threatened to escape.

Their daughter seems to always say that now. Every time she came home that's the first thing she says to him. It if wasn't for the fact that she loved him with all her little heart, he would think she was accusing him of her mothers pain.

He scooped her up in his arms, walking over to the bed and placing her on the empty side. Jack was lying there, curled up inside himself, staring at the pooka was wide, empty eyes. Bunnymund sat down next to Jack, making sure that he wasn't sitting on him.

"Jack, how are you feeling?" He asked, calmly and slowly like one does with a skittish animal. Jack titled his head, eyes red and teary.

'_Oh, no.' _Bunny stepped to the bed, gathering a sobbing Jack into his arms. He buried his nose against snow-white hair, inhaling the fresh sent of his husband.

Oh, how he missed that smell. It had been absent in his life for far too long…

"It'll be okay Jack. That psycho can't get you now. I won't let him. I'll kill him if he even tries to get near you," He growled. A particularly harsh sob echoed through his own chest and his eyes became blurry. "We just need to stand strong and work through this together. We've got to have faith, love. We have to have hope."

Clarice sniffled and Bunnymund brought her closer to them, placing her in the middle as he continues to hug and sooth Jack. She clutched onto him, her ears flat against her skull as she cried softly in his fur. The three held each other like that for hours, even falling asleep with Bunny protectively holding Jack in his sleep. The next day, Jack would emerge from his room, blinking rapidly to adjust to the sudden brightness. The other Guardians embraced him, hugging him and saying encouraging words to him. Bunnymund had supervised them, making sure that none of them-Tooth-overbear the winter spirit.

It might not have seemed like it, but it was a good start. Hope was a good then.

Months later, the winter spirit will feel enough like his own self to come out of his room and go create a snow day in Burgess. It would be years before he confessed to Bunny that blamed himself for their children's deaths and for Bunny to admit he felt the same. Years before the spirit would let the pooka be intimate with him again. And years before they would celebrate Clarice's fifth birthday together, happily and with they're fourth child and third son, Gabriel.

_**END**_

**A/N: It sucks, I know, but I had the thought in my mind for a while now and I am sorry for the evilness that is my mind for causing two lives to die (one not haven't even been born yet). I wanted to write a serious one shot, and I think I did just that. Please review and tell me your comments on it. Thank you.**


End file.
